Hair-care device



M. A. EAGLE June 23, 1970 HAIR-CARE DEVICE Filed Aug. 6. 1968 mma/ w Z W ME n W If w IQ W w mus 2 n G M X a /fi United States Patent O 3,516,424 HAIR-CARE DEVICE Martin A. Eagle, 164 N. Ledoux Road, Beverly Hills, Calif. 90211 Filed Aug. 6, 1968, Ser. No. 750,525 Int. Cl. A45d 24/28 U.S. Cl. 132-148 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Hair-care device including a hand oriented implement such as a brush having a series of bristles for hair arranging and a miniature aerosol dispenser of hair conditioning fiuid such as hair spray lacquer carried by the brush to be operable to openly spray the fiuid adjacent to and beyond the bristles.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention provides increased convenience to users of hair condititioning fluids and particularly to women who comb and brush and then set their hair with hair sprays. The invention has to do with a device which enables carrying out these grooming steps with increased ease and effectiveness and in diverese locations. It is more or less conventional for women to dress their hair with a setting spray once it is combed or brushed into the desired arrangement. More recently, sprays other than setting lacquers (which are actually polymer films) have 'become available for treating the hair including tints and perfumes. These products are vended in aerosol cans generally 8 to inches in height and 2 inches or so in diameter which are thus only inconveniently carried about. While their bulk is a difficulty in transport, it is an asset in facilitating manipulation of the can in applying the hair conditioning fiuid to the user's tresses.

Prior art It has been proposed to package hair conditioning fluids in miniaturized aerosol cans, e.-g., containers less than 4 inches in length. These containers have proved popular for their ease of carrying about, but their small size renders them difficult to operate With accuracy in applying sprays to the hair. The problem thus presented is to retain the travelling convenience of the small aerosol container and to provide the ease of application found in the larger sizes of aerosol containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is a major objective of this invention to provide a hair-care device meeting both these needs and additionally providing for hair arranging.

Thus the invention provides a hair care device including a hand oriented implement having a series of projections for hair arranging, and an aerosol dispenser of hair conditioning fluid carried by the implement to be operable to openly spray the fiuid adjacent to and beyond the projections. The aerosol dispenser typically includes a body for containing the hair conditioning fiuid and a spray nozzle. The implement may be provided with a receptacle in which the dispenser body is carried in a manner to expose the dispenser nozzle for finger actuation and open delivery of fiuid spray.

In specific embodiments, the receptacle may take the form of an axially longitudinally extended wall having a generally U-shape cross section and of a size to accommodate the dispenser body. The wall is interrupted opposite the spray nozzle to permit spraying which may be accomplished by having a valve in the dispenser to be actuated by relative movement of the nozzle and dis- Patented June 23, 1970 penser body. Movement may be efected by shifting the body axially of the receptacle and relative to the nozzle with means provided for that purpose, conveniently to be located for finger actuation from a hand gripping the implement.

The implement carrying the receptacle and aerosol dispenser may be either a brush or comb, but preferably will be a brush having a series of bristles and a rigid handle member supporting the bristles. The receptable is secured to the member, so arranged as to permit open spraying of hair conditioning fiuid from the nozzle without unduly coating the bristles.

The receptacle may be integrally or separately formed and in the latter case may be fastened to the rigid handle member with screw fasteners, rivets or `bonded by heat, solvents or plastic cements such as epoxy resin. The receptacle, if separate, will generally be outwardly congruent with the surface portion of the handle member to which it is fastened and inwardly conformed to the shape of the dispenser body, e.g., where the dispenser body is cylindrical the receptacle may be U-shaped to accommodate the body and to be received in the longitudinally dished portion of a brush handle member.

Means may be provided to prevent unwanted rotation of the spray nozzle including typically cooperating means such as a tongue and groove on the nozzle, or surrounding cap, and receptacle wall which serve to lock the nozzle against rotative disorientation.

The miniature aerosol dispenser is desirably refillable because of its relatively low capacity, owing to its small size typically less than four inches in length. Thus the dispenser may include a body for fiuid, an axially depressible fiuid delivery stem, a cap removably carried by the stem to house the spray nozzle and valve means controlling communication between the body interior and the stem; the valve means being operable by inward axial displacement of the stem to permit fiuid passage through the stem from a higher to a lower fiuid pressure condition; and means on the stem exposable by removal of the cap therefrom to couple the stem for fiuid passage to an aerosol supply of hair conditioning fiuid at a greater pressure than that within the dispenser while inwardly axially depressing the stem, whereby the dispenser is refillable from the aerosol supply.

The invention further contemplates provision of a carrier for a hair conditioning fiuid aerosol dispenser comprising a brush or comb mountable structure shaped to embrace an aerosol dispenser of the type having an aXially depressible stem and a spray nozzle thereon, means on the carrier to engage the dispenser at opposite ends, these engaging means 'being relatively movable to act axially of the dispenser for the purpose of depressing the stem. The carrier structure is interrupted opposite the spray nozzle to permit unobstructed delivery of aerosol fiuid from the dispenser, and cooperating means are carried by spray nozzle and the structure opposite thereto to block relative rotation of the nozzle. The carrier structure may be fastened to a hair brush or comb as above described and may, whether or not so fastened, be combined with an aerosol dispenser.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. l is a view in side elevation of a brush hair care device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the brush device;

FIG. 3 is a somewhat enlarged detail view taken along line 3-3 in FIG. l, and partly broken away;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged detail view taken in longitudinal Vertical section along line 4 -4 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail view taken in transverse section along line 5-5 in FIG. 2.

3 DESCRIPTION O'F THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In FIG. 1 a hair care device according to the invention is shown to include brush 1 icomprising a brush block in the form of a rigid handle member 2 and having a series of bristles 3 projecting therefrom. An aerosol dispenser 4 is carried by the brush 1 on the back or reverse side of the handle member 2 from the brush bristles 3. A receptacle 5 is provided secured to the handle member 2 for the purpose of mounting the aerosol dispenser 4 in position on the brush 1.

The aerosol dispenser 4 comprises a body 6 for containing hair conditioning fluid which term herein is inclusive of liquids, gases and fluent powders useful in effec'tng desired conditions in hair such as, without limitation, hair setting chemicals, shampoos, dyes, tints and colorants, lustrants and perfumes and combinations of these particularly hair setting sprays and perfumes. The hair conditioning fiuid and a suitable propellant are contained within the body 6 for Controlled delivery through spray nozzle 8, best shown in FIG. 4. The spray nozzle 8 is formed in spray cap 9 which is carried by a valve stem 10 extending from the interior 11 of the body 6 through 'body closure 12. Valve stem 10 is axially depressible as by finger pressure downward on surface 9a of the cap 9 to establish fiuid communication between the spray nozzle 8 and the body interior 11. The cap 9 is preferably removably carried by the valve stem 10 for purposes to appear.

The receptacle 5 may take any various forms permitting accommodation of the aerosol dispenser 4 in position to deliver fiuid spray. For instance the receptacle 5 could be formed in a hollowed recess of the handle member 2. However, as shown the receptacle takes the form of a separately formed carrier having an axially longitudinally extending wall 13 which is generally U- shape in cross section (See FIG. 5) to receive and embrace the usually cylindrical dispenser body 6. Being separately formed the illustrated receptacle 5 is fastened to the handle member 2 by any suitable means and preferably as shown with plastic bonding material such as epoxy resin 7. The receptacle 5 being of U-shape is inwardly conformed to the dispenser body 6 as noted and further is congruent with and interfits the recessed or longitudinally dished back surface 22 of the handle member 2.

The dispenser 4 is carried in the receptacle 5 to be operable to openly spray the fluid adjacent to and beyond the lbrush bristles 3. Thus the receptacle 5 is secured to the handle member 2 to project outward beyond the handle member to carry the portion of the dispenser including the nozzle 8 in a manner permitting such spray. In FIG. 1, the spray cap 9 is shown to be well clear of the bristles 3. This avoids undue accumulation of spray in the bristles 3 and consequent fouling of the brush.

As indicated above the valve stem 10 of the dispenser 4 is axially depressed to deliver fluid. In the embodiment shown actuation of the valve is conveniently effected by engaging the dispenser 4 at opposite ends and shifting the dispenser body 6 relative to the spray cap 9 thereby de'pressing the valve stem 10 to the position shown in FIG. 4 in which aperture '10a is within dispenser body interior 11. The shifting of the dispenser body 6 is accomplished by operation of lever 14 and pivoted around pin *15 conveniently by the thumb of the hand grasping the brush handle member 2. Depressing lever 14 shifts the dispenser 'body 6 axially of the receptacle 5 toward the cap 9. Crosspiece 16 at the opposite end of the receptacle 5 engages the cap 9 on its surface 9a against advancement so that the cap and its nozzle 8 move relative to the body 6, depressing the valve stem 10 and opening the valve to fiuid delivery.

lt is thus apparent that the present invention provides means for single handedly orienting and Operating a miniaturized aerosol dispenser for accurate and economical lplacement of hair conditioning fiuids.

The receptacle wall 13 is interrupted opposite the nozzle 8 to provide a port 17 through which fiuid spray may be passed outwardly beyond the bristles 3-. To avoid misalinement of the nozzle 8 and port 17, means best shown in FIG. 4, may be provided to interlock cap 9 and receptacle wall 13 against rotative disorientation of the nozzle and port. Thus the collar 18 of cap 9 may have a tongue 18a formed thereon alined with nozzle 8 to interfit with groove 20 formed in receptacle wall 13 to insure proper orientation of the nozzle for spray delivery.

Conveniently, the dispenser 4 is adapted to be refillable. For this purpose the dispenser 4 is removable from the receptacle 5 and cap 9 is removable from the valve stem 10. The dispenser valve as described is two way, venting being provided at 19, so that fluid will flow through the valve stem 10 in the direction of higher to lower fiuid pressure. Thus application of a large aerosol container of, e.g., hair spray to the exposed top of the valve stem 10 upon removal of spray cap 9 and depression of the stem will establish communication between the interior of the supply container and the interior 11 of the refillable miniature dispenser. Fluid will flow into the smaller dispenser until pressures are equalized. Removal of the supply container at this point closes the valve of stem 10 until actuation as described above.

I claim:

1. Hair-care device including a hairbrush implement having a handle and brush bristles, means secured on the back of said handle operable to openly spray hair conditioning fiuid adjacent to and beyond said brush bristles, said means including an aerosal dispenser of hair conditioning fiuid having a dispenser body and a spray nozzle therein, and a receptacle in which said dispenser body is carried, said receptacle having an opening therein so as to permit the spray of hair conditioning fiuid in the direction of the brush bristles, said receptacle also having finger actuatable means thereon opera-ble by a finger of a hand gripping the handle to selectively actuate the aerosol dispenser for fiuid spray delivery, and cooperating shoulder means on the nozzle and receptacle maintaining the orientation of the nozzle in the direction of the brush bristles and in fixed alinement with said opening through successive fiuid dispensing actuations.

2. Hair-care device according to claim 1 including also valve means in the dispenser for controlling fiuid delivery therefrom and in which said nozzle and dispenser body are relatively movable to actuate the valve.

3. Hair-care device according to claim 2 in which the dispenser body is shiftable axially of the receptacle relatively to said nozzle to open and close said valve and including also means for so shifting the dispenser body.

4. Hair-care device according to claim 3 in which said receptacle comprises an axially longitudinally extended wall having a generally U-shape cross section.

5. Hair-care device according to claim 1 in which said receptacle is separately formed.

6. Hair-care device according to claim 5 in which said receptacle is outwardly congruent with the brush head back to which it is secured.

7. Hair-care device according to claim 5 in which said dispenser includes a valve and an axially depressible stem and said receptacle carries means for axially depressing said stem including wall means limiting axial travel of the spray nozzle and means engaging the base of said dispenser body, said engaging means being relatively movable to axially displace the dispenser body beyond the axial travel limit of said nozzle to depress said stem and actuate said valve thereby.

8. Hair-care device according to claim 7 in which said dispenser body is generally cylindrical, and said receptacle is U-shaped to accommodate said dispenser body, said brush head back is longitudinally dished to receive 5 the receptacle and in which said cooperating shoulder means on said spray nozzle is offset from the axis of rotation of said nozzle and engages an opposing cooperating shoulder on the receptacle against rotative disorientaton.

9. Hair-care device according to claim 1 in which said aerosol dispenser is separable from the implement for refilling and is less than 4 inches in length, said dispenser including said body, an axially depressible fluid delivery stem, a cap removably carried by the stem to house the spray nozzle and valve means controlling communication between the 'body interior and the stem; said valve means being operable by inward axial displacement of the stem to permit fluid passage through the stem from a higher to a lower fluid pressure condition; and means on the stem exposable by removal of the cap therefrom to 6 couple the stem for fluid passage to an aerosol supply of hair conditioning fluid at a greater pressure than that within the dispsnser while inwardly axially depressing the stem, whereby the dispenser is refillable from said aerosol supply.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1963 Keegan et al. 132-147 10/1968 Odencc 132-85 U.S. C1. X.R. 132-85 

